Ellen (Larson) Halter was a little girl living next to Harvey Dunn’s sister near Manchester when she got to know the famous South Dakota artist.
However, his fame had little to do with the friendship that blossomed between them over the years.
Halter, who now lives near Cavour, has written a book, “Shyster & Harvey,” telling about her childhood memories with Harvey Dunn.
Halter will talk with people about her book and memories each day of the South Dakota State Fair at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the Arts and Education Building.
Halter, who wrote and published her book in just the past year, said she’s a little overwhelmed by the attention.
“It was originally intended for my kids and grandkids,” Halter said. “As more things happen with it, it gets more fun.”
Halter, who is 77, said her daughter, Julie Weiczorek of Hartford, encouraged her to put her memories on paper.
“She had heard bits and pieces growing up,” Halter said. “If I would see an artist I would tell them I had a secret — I used to sit on Harvey Dunn’s lap.”
Harvey Dunn’s sister, Carrie Reiland, lived just a stone’s throw from Halter and her family. “She had lost two husbands. We would bring her over cream and eggs,” Halter said. “She was just like family.”
When Harvey came to visit it was always a thrill for her, Halter said.
“I dearly loved him,” she said. “My sister was afraid of him and would hide behind our mother’s skirt, but she was a couple of years younger.
“He was a very big man; big hands, big feet and a deep, deep voice,” Halter said.
Harvey Dunn often asked her to accompany him on walks through the prairie.
“He loved walking up and down the road and he loved to look at the sky,” Halter said. “In his paintings there is always a very busy sky.
“We talked a lot about nature,” she said. “He was famous then, but that didn’t mean anything to me. He was Carrie’s brother that visited.”
During those treks through the prairie with Harvey, he would often stop to sketch scenes using his ever-present pad and pencil. One of his original sketches is featured on the cover of her book.
Halter also has in her collection a painting created by Harvey Dunn’s mother on a tin syrup can lid. It is one of her valued treasures.
The first time Harvey came to visit she earned the nickname “Shyster,” by sitting at his feet and twirling and twisting his shoe laces.
It was when he stood up to leave and found his shoe laces hopelessly tangled together that he bestowed the nickname on her.
She remembers when he painted the iconic picture, “The Prairie is My Garden,” of a woman picking flowers in the prairie with her two children.
“We call this our family,” Halter said. “This picture started out as a prairie woman, then he added the girls,” Halter said, adding the girls are she and her younger sister.
“One time I was sitting on his lap and said, ‘Harvey, you’re a no-good painter,’” Halter said.
Baffled, Harvey asked why and she exclaimed, “You don’t paint kitties.”
The next time he visited, he told her he had a surprise and Halter said she imagined him handing her a painting of her favorite cat licking its paws.
“He brought the same painting and showed me that he had added a kitty,” Halter said, pointing out a black cat walking through the prairie grass to the woman’s right.
“He was noted for painting over paintings he had already finished to add things,” Halter said. “The next time he came with the painting he had added cows (upper left).”
Halter is looking forward to sharing her memories of Harvey Dunn at the S.D. State Fair.
“I worked at the Arts and Education Building for a number of years, and before that in the Women’s Building, and before that in lunch stands,” Halter said. “When the fair is in your own backyard — if nothing else, go to the fair to people-watch.”
Harvey Dunn was born in March 1884 in Manchester, and died in New York City in November 1952.
PHOTOS BY CRYSTAL PUGSLEY OF THE PLAINSMAN Ellen (Larson) Halter of Cavour holds her book, “Shyster & Harvey,” telling of her childhood memories with the famous artist Harvey Dunn. Her family farmed near Harvey Dunn’s sister, Carrie Reiland, in the Manchester area. Halter will be talking to people about her book and other memories in the Arts and Education Building daily at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the South Dakota State Fair. Below, is a tin syrup can lid with a scene that was painted by Harvey Dunn’s mother. The painting by Harvey Dunn on the easel behind her, “The Prairie is My Garden,” has special meaning to her family.
